The Best BMWs Of All Time

Presenting The 25 Most Kickass BMWs Ever Made

Bayerische Motoren Werke – or Bavarian Motor Works, as they’re known to English-speaking folk — was launched in Munich in 1916 as an airplane engine manufacturer. They didn’t build their first car, the Dixi, until 1928. BMW hit hard financial times in the 1950s, and almost went the way of the Packard. It was only with a series of well-engineered economy cars that the Bavarian company returned to solvency, and soon began building small, well-balanced, rear-wheel drive automobiles that would evolve into the vehicles that have earned them “The Ultimate Driving Machine” moniker. But despite their sterling reputation for high-performance vehicles, BMW has only had one true supercar in its history — and the M1 ceased production in 1981 with less than 500 sold. Still, BMW’s stable of highly coveted machines is amply stocked and loaded, so we decided to collect our favorites. Here, in no particular order, are the 25 Greatest BMWs Ever created. Enjoy!

BMW Nazca C2

Quite frankly one of the most beautiful Bimmers ever dreamt, the Giorgetto Giugiaro designed Nazca C2 featured a glass top, gullwing doors and all carbon fiber construction. Oh, and a 380-hp 5.0 liter V12. The twin-turbocharged engine was tuned by BMW specialists Alpina, modded to blast the Nazca C2 all the way up to 193 mph. Only three were ever built, ensuring it will always be considered a highly coveted collector’s gem.

BMW Alpina B10 BiTurbo

The E34 535i is already considered one of the best 5-Series of all time, but when Alpina laid their impeccable white gloves on the car they transformed it from hero to superhero. Reportedly costing $3.2 million to develop, the B10 BiTurbo boosted output by over 70%, from 208-hp/225 lb-ft of torque to 360-hp/384 lb-ft of torque, and installed a Getrag 5-speed manual transmission to handle the increased power. Bilstein shocks, anti-roll bars, massive 13.1-inch disc brakes and Michelin MXX tires were all added, allowing the B10 BiTurbo to 0-62 mph (0–100 km/h) in 5.6 sec with a 180 mph (290 km/h) top speed. It became the best-selling Alpina ever to that point, moving 507 units between 1989 and 1994.

E30 BMW M3

Sure it topped out at a now dismissible 217-hps, but the E30 (1987-1991) is the M3 that begat all M3s, and is therefor historic. It’s legendary because of its agile driving dynamics, establishing a standard that all other manufacturers would scramble to match for decades. Oh – and “God's Chariot”, as it so humbly is referred to, is also the winningest vehicle in all of sports car racing history. So there’s that.

BMW Isetta

The car that birthed the “bubble car” phenomenon, the utterly unique BMW Isetta was the first car in the world to achieve a fuel consumption rating of 78 mpg, thanks to its motorcycle-sourced four-stroke, 247 cc thumper. It went on to become the best-selling single-cylinder car in the world, with 161,728 units sold.

BMW 507

The 507 was, like many iconic cars of its era, actually conceived of by one of BMW’s largest U.S. importers, a man named Max Hoffman. The idea was to craft a roadster that sat between the unattainable Merc 300SL and the underpowered Brit alternatives from Triumph, MG, Austin-Healey, etc. With a purpose-built chassis and sheet metal penned by Albrecht von Goertz, the 507 was a beautiful roadster outfitted with 3.2L engines. Expected to sell in the thousands for Hoffman and his brothers-in-sales, the 507’s bloated development meant the price tag doubled (from $5k to $10k), resulting in only 252 units of the droptop ever sold.

BMW 700 RS

The four-door 700 was an integral car for BMW, as it is credited for single-handedly rescuing the marque from financial ruin. The rear-engined, air-cooled economy car may have been underpowered, but it was also ultra-light – weighing in at only 1,350 pounds. With it, BMW created an incredibly rare (only two made) hand-built race version in 1960 dubbed the 700 RS. The RS featured a tubular steel frame chassis, aerodynamic hand-built aluminum body, a windshield that’s actually the production 700’s rear glass – and no seat belts. The results were an incredibly light car that weighed in at an unheard of 830 pounds – including all fluids and full 40-liter tank.

BMW E9 3.0CSL Batmobile

You knew the 3.0CSL “Batmobile” was going to make it on this list, and you could literally choose any example – even one rotting in a barn with only a single wheel. It would still qualify. The “Coupe Sport Lightweight” was modified by Alpina to weigh 440 lbs less than its CS source, and its 203-hp straight six could hit 0-60 mph in less than 7 seconds. Only 167 were ever built, but if you’re gonna choose one then you’d have to go with BMW’s first ever Art Car, a program that forever shattered the concept of the automobile as art and is still going as strong as ever. The first BMW ever transformed as such was this 3.0CSL, done in 1975 by American artist, Alexander Calder. Using only bold primary colors painted in large blocks, this Batmobile is as much a piece of art on the outside as it is on the inside. It even ran the 24-hour race in Le Mans that year. Hervorragend!

BMW 750iL V16

While many would argue the 3rd gen ”E38” 7-Series (1994-2001) is the pinnacle of BMW’s flagship sedan, the 2nd gen “E32” stakes a good claim. But this particular 750iL “V16” renders any argument moot. Yes, that’s an E32 7-Series with a 6.7L 16-cylinder engine stuffed inside! The prototype was created to test production viability, but the obstacles were too many to overcome. The engine was shoehorned in so tightly, for instance, that there wasn’t room for coolant — so they had to move the system to a bulbous wart popping from the rear fender. Its 402-hp in 1987 would’ve surpassed even the Ferrari Testarossa. Yikes.

Concept Coupe Mille Miglia

What would someone from the ‘50s imagine a Bimmer coupé to look like in the future? Why the Concept Coupe Mille Miglia, naturally. It features a full carbon fiber body built around the chassis of a Z4 M Coupe, with a 3.2-liter inline-six power plant tuned to produce 340-hps.

E46 BMW M3

My favorite of all the M3s, the E46 just had balls of steel – and a glowering fascia that made passing Audis tinkle just a bit out of their tailpipes. Its “S54” 3.2L inline 6-cylinder is also one of the most beloved BMW engines ever made – not only did it deliver 333 horses, it did so without any forced induction (and it’s #2 in Jalopnik’s “10 Best Engines Of the Last 20 Years”). The E46 would be the last naturally aspirated V6 and M3 would see.

’72 BMW Turbo

BMW designer Paul Bracq's work on the Turbo concept car would have lasting effects on the M1, the only supercar BMW has ever produced. But the Turbo was more than that – it was proof of the brand’s technological mettle. It featured lateral sensors, an integrated roll cage, a collapsible steering column and one of the world’s first distance warning radar systems. Most importantly it featured BMW’s first turbocharged engine, a 1990cc inline-4 plucked from the 2002. Only two Turbos were ever built, but its M1 progeny would go on to define BMW for decades.

1-Series M Coupe

When the M version of BMW’s entry-level 1-Series was announced, many scoffed. Dubbed the “1-Series M Coupe” to preserve the “M1” moniker for a supercar worthy of the name, many wondered who would buy a supped up version of BMW’s most pedestrian vehicle? The answer is, a shit ton of people. Now selling for more than it did when in showrooms, the 1-Series M Coupe’s 335-hps (from a twin-turbocharged, direct injection 3.0-liter straight-6) offered stupendous power for such a light, nimble, and well balanced car. Oh, and did I mention it only comes with a 6-speed stick shift? Already destined for future classic status.

BMW 2002 Turbo

The 2002 was the standout model of BMW’s “New Class” of cars developed between 1962 and 1977. The sporty 2002 was the precursor of the 3-Series that would build the House Of Bimmer into the worldwide brand it is today, and the very rare 170-hp 2002 Turbo (only 1,672 built) was the first turbocharged car in Europe. It’s actually the same engine found in their Turbo concept.

E21 BMW 320i “Roy Lichtenstein Art Car #3”

The first 3-Series ever, the 320i was a testament to German styling perfection. It will not only stand the test of time design-wise, the 320i will be remembered as one of the vehicles that established BMW’s driving credibility. It was also my first car, inherited when my dad moved to Arizona for work. So it’s awesome on many levels. The finest living example has to be BMW’s 3rd Art Car, painted by Roy Lichtenstein who stylized the sheet metal with his iconic comic book illustrations.

E90 BMW M3

The most powerful M3 ever made, with a burly naturally aspirated V8 that has since been reduced to a turbocharged V6… and is unlikely to ever return. This was also the generation when Bimmer began to regain its aesthetic boldness, after the wayward Bangle years that all but neutered the World’s Greatest Driving Machine.

BMW i8

BMW enters the 21st century with the i8, the Big Daddy in its electrified “i” line of vehicles. The ultra futuristic i8 features a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine augmented with an electric motor that boosts output to 362-hps and 320 lb/ft of torque. That’s good enough to launch the i8 from 0-62 mph in just 4.4 seconds, while preserving a jaw dropping 94 mpg. The future is here.

BMW M1

What’s there to say about the M1 that hasn’t already been said? BMW’s only true supercar is also its only mid-engined production car – quite a rarity for a brand founded on performance. Its looks will also make you lightheaded. Created primarily to compete in the Procar Championship series, the M1 was the first car developed by BMW’s “M” (Motorsport) division, reverse homologated for the street, meaning its performance was superb for the day – 277 horses from its 3.5L 6-cylinder lump, and a 162-mph top speed. Only 453 of the hand-built supercars were ever made.

BMW M8 “E31”

One of the most legendary vehicles in BMW’s stable, the 1990 M8 was once only a creature of rumor. When finally admitted it existed, the M8 was only shown once to the public – at The Legends of the Autobahn show in Carmel, California. The M8 was originally built to compete with Ferrari, boasting a fire breathing 550-hp version of BMW’s S70 engine – a different version of which went on to power the world’s first hypercar, the McLaren F1. The M8 was too mighty for its own good, however, and was infamously locked away in BMW’s Giftschrank (“poison storage”). Only a watered down version (the still amazing 850csi) ever made it to production.

BMW Z8 Roadster

Sure you could go with the Z07 concept car upon which the Z8 is based, but the Z8 is such a perfect production roadster that I’m gonna go with the commercial car. Designed by Henrik Fisker – of the Aston DB9 fame and Fisker Automotive/Justin Bieber chrome car failure. Originally just as a concept car, the Z07 caused such a raucous at the 1997 Tokyo Auto Show that BMW moved it into production. And what a streetcar it was! Built around a highly expensive aluminum space frame and powered by a 4.9 L V8, the Z8 bristled with 400 hp and 370 lb/ft torque.

BMW Nazca M12

The predecessor to the jaw-dropping Nazca C2, the nearly-as-stunning Nazca M12 was the first vehicle penned by Fabrizio Giugiaro, son of famed design house Italdesign’s founder Giorgetto Giugiaro. The M12 featured a full carbon fiber body and frame, wraparound windshield, 360-degree view and gullwing doors. It was powered by a 5.0-liter V12 plucked from the 850i, with all power channeled straight to the rear wheels.

X5 V12 Le Mans

What?! An X5 on this list?! While Bimmeristi might be suffering from the vapors right now, the truth of the matter is that there is an X5 that belongs here: the long whispered X5 “Le Mans”. Why Le Mans? Because it has the actual V12 from the 1999 BMW Le Mans racecar shoehorned inside its engine bay, all 690 horses of it. Built to test whether SUVs could handle the pressure of high speeds, the Le Mans pushed the X5 to its very limits (notice the gigantic hood extractors), and was a catalyst of the high-performance SUV segment way, way, way ahead of its time. There’s only one in existence, and it’s certainly not street legal.

Vision ConnectedDrive Concept

Debuted at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the clumsily named Vision ConnectedDrive is a two-seat roadster designed to highlight BMW’s bristling tech array. But more importantly than all its advanced driver assistance aids is its looks – implemented by head of design Adrian van Hooydonk’s 'layered surface' design language. Featuring Z1-like doors (where the outer skins slide forward and the inner door slides backwards), futuristic lighting inside and out and a driver-oriented cabin, the Vision ConnectedDrive is one of BMW’s more neck-craning concept cars.

BMW M6 “E24”

This one makes it at the very least for personal reasons, as I borrowed an M6 often from my old man. The E24 6-Series is not only one of the truly superb designs in BMW’s history – handsome, refined and yet eminently dangerous – it was also the flagship vehicle for BMW in the ‘80s. And the “M” version was King of the Bavarian Hills. Not only did it feature fuel injection and a limited-slip differential, its 282-hp “M88” engine was lifted directly from the street legal racecar, the M1.

BMW M2

A car that has to get in just on its otherworldly swoopy design, the Luigi Colani-penned “M2” was crafted as an alternative to the M1. Imagined specifically for Le Mans race driver Jean Rondeau (the only man to win the race in a car bearing his own name), the M2 was too bizarre to ever exist. Obscenely long with covered rear wheels and a stark black-and-white colorway, only one M2 ever saw the light of day.

BMW 2002 GT4

While there are many wild concepts that could take the GT4’s place on this list, we’re selecting this one simply because it is one of the cleaner, more beautifully minimal design studies of the era – for BMW or anyone. The GT4 was somewhat of an amalgamation, Frankensteining parts together from a 2002, 2800CS and 2500, and even swiping taillights from an Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina Mk1. While certainly not a street rocket, the GT4’s 2.0 liter inline four-banger (lifted from the 2002ti) generated a respectable 120-hp, a 110 mph top speed and a 0–60 time of about 9 seconds. And, did I mention it’s beautiful?